3 things that must go right for the Panthers this season

The Florida Panthers open the 2026-27 campaign as a renewed Stanley Cup contender. Their first test to open the regular season on Tuesday is a big kahuna -- on the road against defending champion Carolina. With many new faces set to take the ice, these are three keys to unlock the door to a third NHL title.

1. Brady Tkachuk MUST live up to the hype

Brady Tkachuk has recorded 213 goals, 250 assists, and 463 points in 572 regular-season career games in the NHL. In the 2025-26 NHL regular season, the former Ottawa captain recorded 59 points (22 goals and 37 assists) over 60 games.

If Brady can duplicate those 59 points this season, he will surpass every Panther from last year in points, excluding Sam Reinhart, who led the 24-25 injury-riddled Panthers with 61 points. Sam Bennett had 58 points, Carter Verhaeghe 55, and Brad Marchand 54.

Granted, none of those four Panthers played a full season in 24-25, and captain Aleksander Barkov, normally a points leader, missed the entire season.

However, regardless of last year's injuries, if Brady can accumulate at or near his 59 points, and the other Panthers' core maintains their usual production, the offense should be able to return to its dominating days of Cupdom.

Don't forget that the Panthers lost Evan Rodrigues (31 points), Mackie Samoskevich (32) and A.J. Greer (32) via trade at the end of last year. The gamble that GM Bill Zito is making is that Brady and the return of Barkov and the other healthy Panthers will more than make up for the loss of some key players. Which brings us to the next core player the Panthers lost and key number two...

2. Markstrom and Schmid Must Adequately Replace Bobrovsky

No one is expecting Jacob Markstrom to duplicate the cumulative success of future Hall of Famer Sergei Bobrovsky, who recorded a .906 save percentage in 2024-25 but slipped to a career-worst .877 save percentage in 25-26.

If Markstrom can attain close to a .907 save percentage -- that's his career average -- and 38-year old Bobrovsky doesn't find the fountain of youth in Toronto, then Zito will continue his imitation of Tom Cruise in the classic "All the Right Moves".

Meanwhile, probably the most unsung of all of Zito's moves, backup goaltender Akira Schmid has impressed in the pre-season. Schmid also played a career-high 34 games for the Golden Knights last year and boasts a career save percentage of .898.

The combination of Markstrom and Schmid will be critcal to the Panthers' playoff pursuits, but the master key for 2026-27....

3. The Injury Bug Must Fly Away

Coach Paul Maurice said toward the end of the 25-26 season that the most dangerous job in the world was playing hockey for the Florida Panthers.

After Barkov blew out his knee in the pre-season and was lost for the year, the Panthers led the NHL with a staggering 540 man-games lost to injury in missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs after back-to-back championships.

Other than Brad Marchand, who is recovering from surgery and is expected back sometime in October, the Panthers are fully healthy for the first time in more than a year. If this team, known for its intense physical play, can maintain that good health, then maybe in 26-27 Maurice can say there are other jobs more dangerous than taking the ice for his team.

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